Michelle Xia - Wikiwand

Chinese billionaire businesswoman

Born

Xia Yu

1966 or 1967 (age 58–59)^[1]

KnownforFounder, CEO, chairwoman and president of Akeso

Michelle Xia
Born	Xia Yu 1966 or 1967 (age 58–59)^[1]
Known for	Founder, CEO, chairwoman and president of Akeso

Michelle Xia (Chinese: 夏瑜; born 1966 or 1967) is a Chinese biopharmaceutical executive. She founded Akeso in 2012 and serves as the company's chairwoman, president, and chief executive officer.^[2]^[3]

Xia was born in Gansu province.^[4] She is the daughter of two university-educated engineers.^[1]

She earned a degree in biochemistry from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou in 1988, and a doctorate in molecular biology and microbiology from Newcastle University in the UK.^[1] She also undertook postgraduate study at the University of Glasgow.^[5] In 1996, she moved to the United States to conduct cancer research at the University of Louisville.^[1]

Career

Xia co‑founded Akeso in 2012 and has served as chairwoman, president and CEO since inception.^[2] The company listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in April 2020.^[3] Earlier in her career she held scientific or leadership roles at Crown Bioscience, PDL BioPharma, and Bayer.^[6] Since 2023, she has served on the board of Summit Therapeutics.^[7]

Under Xia, Akeso have developed Ivonescimab, which appears to outperform Pembrolizumab (marketed as Keytruda), produced by Merck in the US.^[4]

In March 2025, she was included in the "TIME100 Health" list.^[8]

As of July 2025, Forbes estimates her net worth at US$1.2 billion.^[1]

References

1 2 3 4 5 Dolan, Kerry A. (16 July 2025). "How This New Biotech Billionaire Outmaneuvered Merck In China". Forbes. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
1 2 "Annual Report 2024" (PDF). Akeso, Inc. 30 March 2025. p. 37. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
1 2 "Global Offering (Prospectus)" (PDF). Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing. 14 April 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
1 2 Leong, Clarence (11 April 2025). "The Chinese CEO Who Believes Her Cancer Drug Can Beat Merck's Bestseller". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
↑ Manalac, Tristan (17 September 2025). "Choosing China: Akeso's $3M Beginnings and the Rise of China's Biotech Sector". BioSpace. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
↑ "Summit Therapeutics Reports Financial Results and Provides Corporate Update". US SEC (EDGAR). 10 May 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
↑ "Dr. Yu (Michelle) Xia". Summit Therapeutics. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
↑ Hu, Charlotte (8 May 2025). "TIME100 Health: Michelle Xia". TIME. Retrieved 24 July 2025.

Related Articles